3 ways for Music Professionals to use LinkedIn

LinkedIn is primarily used by traditional professionals as an online resume when searching for a job or for networking with people in your field of expertise. However it still has some valuable opportunities for music professionals.

Groups
LinkedIn Groups are an excellent way to network with other industry professionals, gain valuable information and establish yourself as a thought leader. Two of the larger music industry related groups on LinkedIn are Music and Entertainment Professionals and Music Biz. Together these groups have about 80,000 members that you can possibly network with.

Research
Another great way to use LinkedIn is to research companies and people that you may want to do business with. I am one of those people who researches everything. If i meet a girl and I think she has some potential I will look her up on the internet to make sure her story is adding up. If I speak with someone who I am interested in doing business with, I usually go to LinkedIn and look at their profile to see if there are any “hot buttons” I may be able to push. If you want to know the name, position or connections of any power player in the industry its a strong chance that information is available on LinkedIn.

One of the cool things about LinkedIn is anytime you look at someones profile you will see other profiles that the viewers of the profile also looked at.These are usually the profiles of people with similar backgrounds that you may be able to network with. Last Week while looking for the person that handles the booking at the House of Blues in Denver, I was able to find six more booking agents to contact for possible opportunities.

News
LinkedIn Today is a great way for music industry professionals to stay up to date on the latest entertainment industry trends. In addition, you are able to access the latest marketing and technology news which will give you and edge over your competition and help you to create better overall strategy.

Although LinkedIn isn’t as busy as Twitter or Facebook, it still provides a professional look into whats happening behind the scenes in “this business of music.”